Knitted fabric and method of preventing yarn strains therein



March 3, 1936.

G. GA$TR1CH KNITTED FABRIC AND METHOD OF PREVENTING YARN STRAINS THEREIN Filed Jan. 13, 1932 c INVENTOR: awszavqwszrwk; W A T TURN E Y.

Patented Mar. 3, 1936 UNITED STATES O F'FIif C E Berkshire Knitting. Mills, Wyomissing, Pa a. corporation of Pennsylvania Application January 13, 192:2;sent1 N01 586,314 8 Claims. (cits- 185 This invention relates to knitted fabric and articles,- suchas: hosiery made therefrom, and particularly to a" method for substantially preventingyam strains the fabric of full fashioned flat knit hosiery at and adjacent the turning points or the heel: tabs; where: the knittingv thread tends to break, resulting in runners in'the: stocking at such points when the stockings are being boa'rded orwhenbeing applied to the limbs and feet: or wearers;

The invention comprises a novel knitted shaped fabric which; is free tromthe usual yarnstrains at certain criticalturni'ng or shaping-l points; and in theimprovedl method of producing the same.

In the: accompanying drawing:

Fig; 11 is a diagrammatic view ot the: foot and ankle portions ot a; full fashioned stocking indicating by'axdot anddashl outlined circle the areas within which. the abovementioned strains occur Riga-2 is'ramenlargedyiew or theareasuirounm ing one of the: turning: points of the heel tubs; and

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of a portion oi my improved: flat; knit fulb fashioned-l stocking blank; before the: turning on the heel. tabs: and.

before the knitting of the foot; to the blank From; the: following: description lti wllla be apB- parent that: the; invention: is applicable: to: knit.-

ted: fabrics generally, butt for: illustrative pur'-' poses it is: herein set forth: in' connection with: the manufacture of? full; fashioned hosiery.

Irt Fig. 11 of: the: drawing, the ankle portionv of a; full. fashioned stocking; is indicated at i with thehighisplice heel: reinforce": 24 at the rearthereto the demand-dash: line' a:b Fig. 1 which: ex.- 1

40 tends across the instep portion 4 of thestoo'k-ing.

After knitting: of: the blank down to the line a-Jr the; heel pieces 3 ,13 are knit-thereto as depending tabs: each having: a selvage edge 5' ex:- tending: from: the point 12- to the point c at the 4? lower end of: the: heel tab;

- The insteprportion'ot the blank is then: topped onto the needles oi a; footer along the line ct--b; and. the: heel tabs 3- are' subsequently turned: outwardly about the" points b until the selvage edge 50 5 oi each: heel tab: is aligned: with the insteploops on: the line: 112-41,- which" have been previousI-y applied tothe needles of" the footer, the stitchlo'r loop wale: ofi eachheel: tab: 3 lying ad jacent the selvage edge. 5 being applied to the 55* needles of the footer;

v theadjacentreinforced areas Zlonger than those of the instep to accommodate the reinforcing or plating: thread.

a result of: the: uniform size of the single loops of: the instep 4 immediately adjacent the turning: points lxo'f'the heel tabs 3 and the duble loops of the reinforced areas 2 the yarn of thesesingle loops isp'lacedi under severe strains during the topping-- operation: by the turning of the he'el tabs about the pointsb and again when thestocking is being boarded, or when being drawn: over the: foot: of: the wearer, due to: the extreme: widthot the board ona line across the instep and and due to the greatest thickness ofi the: wearers foot being. on a corresponding lin'e across theinstep and the-round of the heel.

Under such strains the yarrr forming the loops at and; adjacent the turning points b frequently breaks and. produces runners in the stocking. In order-to obviate this condition,- the object ofthe present inventioniisz teincre'as'e the length of the single loops? in. the instep atand adjacent the: turning points I?- ot the: heel: tabs 3'.

As; shown: in Fig. 3;. the courses of loops lllj across the instep 4 and preceding the course H which latter" is adapted to be toppedonto the needles of: the footer, are of the regular uniform length; and consequently these courses-- are formed of a length ofyarn: of uniform length. The loops att'he center'of the topping course H are likewise ot the same uniform length as the loops of the preceding courses ill, but at and adjacent the points'b where the single loopsof the" instep join the double loopsof the reinforced areas 2 the groups I25 t2" of the loops of the course l t are progressively lengthened; the double loops l3 of the course H, which actually constitute theturning' points b and which lie immediately adjacent the progressively enlarged loops. of thegroups- I 2, are of substantially the same. size' as the longest loopsof each group I1. It will beapparent from that the yarn forming the course H isof greater length than that of the courses "It By this arrangement: the fabric in the area I immediately surrounding the turning points I) is consequently somewhat looser than the outer areas due to the increased length of the loops of the groups l2, l2, the loops l2 and I3 forming in 7 effect elastic centers at the turning points.

As shown in Fig. 2, the loops of the groups l2 lose their individuality when the stocking is finished, due to the self-adjusting of the loops immediately adjacent the loops of the groups l2. Nevertheless, the loops at this point are of somewhat greater length. The compensating effect aiforded by the greater amounts of threads in the enlarged loops of the course including groups l2, which permits the fabric surrounding the turning points b to find an arbitrary condition wherein localized strains on the yarn forming the loops adjacent and at the turning points b, are eliminated. In this manner the distorting or stretching forces which tend to concentrate at the turning points are neutralized so that there is no strain present at the turning points of sufficient magnitude to cause substantial 'yarn strain.

While the progressive lengthening of loops in the groups I2, l2 has been described as occurring in the topping course ll only, it will be obvious to one familiar with the art that such enlarged stitches may be formed in any desired number of courses at either or both sides of the said topping courses if desired, to further relieve the fabric around the turning points of the heel tabs, but care must be exercised in such procedure in order to avoid the formation of bulges such as would be caused by too great a number of elongated stitches being present in these areas. The

' loops forming groups l2, I2 can also be of equal length.

The progressive lengthening of the loops, as above noted, may be accomplished in any of a number of different ways, for example the rocker cam of the regulating motion may be provided with additional wedge-shaped cam pieces arranged to provide a quick advance and gradual retreat of the needles toward the sinkers at the start of the slur cock across the needles on which the instep loops of the topping course II are being formed and to provide a gradual advance and a quick retreat of the needles as the slur cock reaches the opposite end of the instepforming needles, or those needles on which the groups of loops I2 are formed may be flexed inwardly and relative to the other needles by any suitable mechanism to draw more than the normal amount of thread being fed to the adjacent needles.

Of course, the improved stocking and novel method of producing the same, as herein shown and described, can be changed and modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the invention disclosed and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a fiat knitted stocking blank provided with an instep part and reinforced heel tabs adapted to be turned at an angle relative to said instep part in the finished stockin of means compared with the surrounding normal loops of said instep part, said special slack loops progressively decreasing in degree of slackness along lines radiating from said turning points.

2. In a fiat knitted stocking blank provided with a non-reinforced instep part and reinforced heel tabs adapted to be turned at an angle relative to said instep part in the finished stocking; of means for relieving yarn strains at said turning points comprising one or more slack fabric loops within a predetermined area of said instep part adjacent the turning points embodying additional yarn compared with the surrounding normal loops of said instep part, said loops progressively decreasing in slackness from said turning points along a course extending between said turning points across the instep part.

3. In a flat knitted stocking blank provided with a non-reinforced instep part and reinforced heel tabs adapted to be turned at an angle relative to said instep part in the finished stocking; of means for relieving yarn strains at said turning points comprising a plurality of slack loops within a predetermined area of said instep part adjacent the turning points which are of greater length than the loops of the surrounding normal loops of said instep part, said enlarged loops progressively decreasing in size from said turning points along a course extending between said turning points across the instep part and in which said turning points are included.

4. In a stocking blank for full fashioned stockings provided with heel tabs adapted to be turned about a point of intersection of the inner selvedge edge of said tab, and the instep of the stocking, said blank comprising courses of plain knit loops requiring a predetermined amount of yam per course, of one or more courses having an additional amount of yarn embodied in a portion of said course or courses, said additional yarn being provided in the form of single strand yarn dis-, tributing loops some of which at least are located in the instep portion of said stocking blank and forming an area including said turning point,

said yarn distributing loops being adapted to pay,

out said additional yarn to thereby relieve strain at said turning point.

5. In a stocking blank for full fashioned stock-.

ings provided with heel tabs adapted to be turned about a point of intersection of the inner selvedge edge of said tab, and the instep of the stocking,

said blank comprising courses of plain knit loops 7 provided in the form of loose yarn distributing loops varying in degrees of looseness over a plurality of wales, some of which at least are located in the instep portion of said stocking blank and adjacent to said turning points, said yarn distributing loops being adapted to pay out said additional yarn to thereby relieve strain at said turning point.

6. In a stocking blank for full fashioned stockings provided with heel tabs adapted to be turned about the points of intersection of the inner selvedge edges of said tabs and the instep of said stocking, said blank comprising courses'of plain knit loops requiring a predetermined amount of yarn per course, and one or more courses of loops including said turning points having an addi tional amount of yarn embodied in portions of said course or courses adjacent said turning points and provided in the form of slack loops some of which at least are located in the instep portion of said stocking blank, said loops decreasing in degree of slackness in a direction toward the center of the stocking blank.

7. The method of relieving yarn strains at the turning points of the heel tabs of a full fashioned stocking, which comprises producing a number of special loose fabric loops some of which at least are located in the instep of said stocking, embodying additional yarn compared with adjacent normal loops, in a course including said turning points of the heel tabs and progressively decreasing the looseness of said special loops inwardly from said turning points.

8. The method of substantially preventing yarn strains in a knitted fabric at a point of meeting of a suture therein with the line of junction of thicknesses at which point distorting forces tend to concentrate when the fabric is in service, which comprises forming in the fabric of lesser thickness at said meeting point an area composed of slack loops having a predetermined length sufficiently greater than that of the remaining loops of the said adjoining portions of the fabric adjacent said meeting point to neutralize said forces, and limiting the length of the loops of said area to avoid the appearance of being appreciably larger than the loops of the adjacent portions.

GUSTAV GAS'I'RICH.

two adjoining portions of the fabric of different 

